Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Nyaggá

The Nyaggá are a sapient alien species of marine mammals native to the Alhena (Gamma Geminorum) system. Although the species maintains a super-scientific culture and a pocket star empire of a dozen or more systems in the Hyades, rimward of the Humanspace-Regulan Neutral Zone, their extreme xenophobia has left them shrouded in mystery. Even the boundaries of Nyaggá claimed space are somewhat uncertain and several human colonies in the region have been attacked and destroyed by the terrible cymek tripods of the Nyaggá. Reprisals by Humanspace naval forces have always resulted in massive casualties on both sides.

Diplomatic efforts have achieved little and the species refuses to engage in interstellar commerce; however it is believed that massive monoliths and alien sculptures found on some Hyadean worlds were left by the Nyaggá and they periodically revisit these sites to conduct some alien semblance of trade.

Few humans have seen these creatures; however the best descriptions of the Nyaggá have been reported by rare human and near human refugees from several Nyaggá client worlds. The body of the Nyaggá is a long, tapering cylinder nearly 10 feet in length, covered by smooth grey-white skin and ending in an eel-like tail. The head is spherical and bulbous, soft and convoluted like a human brain. It includes a central black-lipped mouth surrounded by a ring of six huge black eyes. Six long retractable tentacles covered with tiny suckers and cilia, which serve for hands, emerge from a ring of muscle at the juncture of the body and the head; fully extended, the alien measures over 15 feet in length. The Nyaggá are said to be excellent swimmers; however, on land they are awkward and, unless aided by mechanical devices, must drag themselves with their tentacles and by coiling their bodies. Their reproductive processes are unknown.

It has also been reported that the Nyaggá interact little with their client worlds, except to occasionally take captives and they are typically regarded as semi-divine by the mostly primitive inhabitants of these planets.

These giant metal killing machines stand 20 foot tall on three spindly but incredibly strong legs. The tripod attacks with four whip-like metallic tentacles and a gamma ray projector mounted on its bulbous head. It is uncertain if the head of the tripod is a vehicular compartment for its Nyaggá pilot or if the alien is cybernetically integrated into the machine. If the tripod is severely damaged the internal Nyaggá may extend 1-4 tentacles armed with small gamma ray guns from the hatch at the top of the tripod. Such attacks are made at -4 to hit and inflict 2d6 damage. The tripods always explode as a firebomb doing 8d8 damage in a 20’ radius when destroyed.

Reviews

Blurbs

"Humanspace Empires is a pulp science fiction game set in the space opera "pre-history" of Prof. M.A.R. Barker's classic fantasy world of Tekumel...[with] a rules engine that implements the best aspects of the original fantasy role playing system and Empire of the Petal Throne..."

"Humanspace Empires is the best upcoming Science Fantasy project on the net. Forget Stars Without a Number, embrace your Sub-atomic Disintegrator Rifle and go shoot some motherfucking demon in the outer space!!"

"If you have run—and loved—an older edition of D&D than you will be completely comfortable running this system ... closer in spirit to the simple, pre-TSR OD&D variant Empire of the Petal Throne than the published one."

"A better one for the OSR: playing What If… with the original games. Humanspace Empires is what if with MAR Barker’s Empire of the Petal Throne, earlier in the timeline of that game and focused on the space opera aspects of the setting."

"This setting is like a combo of star wars, star trek, & dune on acid mixed with influences of old fashioned pulp in a blender with the setting on high mix! Got that! Its that good & this is only the playtest version!"